Tiger quoll

Dasyurus maculatus

Blamed on cats

IUCN status: Near Threatened

EPBC Predator Threat Rating: Very high

IUCN claim: “Predation by foxes and dogs”

Studies in support

No studies

Studies not in support

Cat abundance increased in 2 of 4 sites or years while quoll abundance did not change, nor was there evidence of cat predation on quolls (Körtner et al. 2003).

Is the threat claim evidence-based?

There are no studies linking cats to tiger quolls.

Evidence linking Dasyurus maculatus to cats. Systematic review of evidence for an association between Dasyurus maculatus and cats. Positive studies are in support of the hypothesis that cats contribute to the decline of Dasyurus maculatus, negative studies are not in support. Predation studies include studies documenting hunting or scavenging; baiting studies are associations between poison baiting and threatened mammal abundance where information on predator abundance is not provided; population studies are associations between threatened mammal and predator abundance. See methods section in [current submission] for details on evidence categories.

References

Current submission (2023) Scant evidence that introduced predators cause extinctions.

EPBC. (2015) Threat Abatement Plan for Predation by Feral Cats. Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, Department of Environment, Government of Australia. (Table A1).

IUCN Red List. https://www.iucnredlist.org/ Accessed June 2023

Körtner, G., Gresser, S. and Harden, B., 2003. Does fox baiting threaten the spotted-tailed quoll, Dasyurus maculatus?. Wildlife Research, 30(2), pp.111-118.